Happy Thursday! This week has flown by, as has most of July. It’s been a whirlwind month of summer fun and excellent reading, and it looks like August is going to be just as fantastic! Let’s check out 15 of my most anticipated releases – YA fantasy, historical romance, contemporary romance, romantasy, and more!
Aug. 2nd: The King Will Kill You by Sarah Henning
Title: The King Will Kill You
Author: Sarah Henning
Series: Kingdoms of Sand and Sky #3
Page Length: 368
Publication Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Publisher: Tor Teen
Synopsis: The epic tale concludes with The King Will Kill You, as the newly-crowned Queen Amarande and Luca, her one true love, seek peace among the Kingdoms of Sand and Sky. Wartorn and regicidal, all five kingdoms must confront the power-mad king determined to seize control of the continent–and kill Amarande and Luca in the process.
Fans of Sarah J. Maas, Kristin Cashore, and Adrienne Young will love this kickass heroine and fast-paced fantasy adventure inspired by The Princess Bride.
Aug. 8th: Love and Last Resorts by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
Title: Luck and Last Resorts
Author: Sarah Grunder Ruiz
Page Length: 336
Publication Date: Aug. 8, 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Synopsis: They have a second chance at love, but there are some rough seas ahead in the new contemporary romance from the acclaimed author of Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships.
Commitment-phobe Nina Lejeune lives by two rules:
1. Always have fun.
2. Don’t rely on anyone but yourself.
The first rule is easy; the second, she’s only broken once.
Ten years after fleeing home, Nina is the chief stewardess on the super yacht Serendipity, single by choice, and perfectly content with how life has turned out.
But Nina’s ex-coworker and old flame, Irish chef Ollie Dunne, isn’t so happy with the status quo. One year after leaving yachting, he’s returned as the Serendipity’s chef with an ultimatum: if Nina continues to deny she’s in love with him by the end of this charter season, he’ll go back to Ireland for good.
Nina and Ollie’s shared secret from their past threatens to shipwreck not only their relationship, but the entire boat. But as their connection grows amidst chaotic guests and crew drama, could there be smooth sailing in their future?
Aug. 9th: The Altruist and the Assassin by Sarah M. Cradit
Title: The Altruist and the Assassin
Author: Sarah M. Cradit
Series: The Book of All Things
Release Date: August 9, 2022
Publisher: Storyville Press
Blurb: Rhiain enjoys a charmed life as the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the realm. Spoiled and vain, she has never met a need or want she couldn’t attain. The dark spots in her memory have been tucked away, with all other unpleasant things.
Then a terrible mistake brings her entire world crashing down around her. Her life shifts in an instant; her fate, uncertain. Her father’s punishment for her is forcing her to train for a life as one of his prized assassins.
But a chance encounter in a familiar tavern will change everything. Everything she knows. Everything she feels. Everything she is.
As Rhiain gets closer to handsome, enigmatic Asterin— a man she doesn’t remember but claims to possess the truth about her dark spots—she begins to accept there is much more to these gaps in her understanding of the past.
Because these memories were taken from her for a reason. And there are those who will do anything to stop her from remembering.
The Altruist and the Assassin is a standalone fated love fantasy romance tale set in the Kingdom of the White Sea universe, with hints of Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty.
Aug. 23rd: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
Title: Love on the Brain
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Page Length: 368
Publication Date: Aug. 23, 2022
Publisher: Berkley Books
Synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new STEMinist rom-com in which a scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis—with explosive results.
Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project—a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia—Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.
Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school—archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.
Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and Bee finds her floundering career in somewhat of a pickle. Perhaps it’s her occipital cortex playing tricks on her, but Bee could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas…devouring her with those eyes. And the possibilities have all her neurons firing. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there’s only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?
Aug. 23rd: A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin
Title: A Venom Dark and Sweet
Author: Judy I. Lin
Series: The Book of Tea #2
Page Length: 352
Publication Date: Aug, 23, 2022
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Synopsis: A great evil has come to the kingdom of Dàxi. The Banished Prince has returned to seize power, his rise to the dragon throne aided by the mass poisonings that have kept the people bound in fear and distrust.
Ning, a young but powerful shénnóng-shi—a wielder of magic using the ancient and delicate art of tea-making—has escorted Princess Zhen into exile. Joining them is the princess’ loyal bodyguard, Ruyi, and Ning’s newly healed sister, Shu. Together the four young women travel throughout the kingdom in search of allies to help oust the invaders and take back Zhen’s rightful throne.
But the golden serpent still haunts Ning’s nightmares with visions of war and bloodshed. An evil far more ancient than the petty conflicts of men has awoken, and all the magic in the land may not be enough to stop it from consuming the world..
Aug. 23rd: The Hellion and the Hero by Emily Sullivan
Title: The Hellion and the Hero
Author: Emily Sullivan
Series: A League of Scoundrels #3
Page Length: 352 pages
Publication Date: Aug. 23, 2022
Publisher: Forever Pub.
Synopsis: Society darling Lady Georgiana Arlington spent years crafting her image as the ideal wife, but since her husband’s unexpected death, she has lived mostly for herself while making desperately needed improvements to the businesses she inherited––and gaining a mysterious enemy in the process. With few people she can trust, Georgiana must rely on Captain Henry Harris, a former fortune-hunter turned private investigator who once claimed to love the woman beneath her carefully polished veneer. Time and experience have left a heavy mark on the dashing young officer she used to know, but she finds herself even more drawn to the dark and complicated man he has become.
When Captain Harris left London eight years ago, he was heartbroken and nearly penniless. Now he has returned as a decorated naval hero with everything he could ever want. Everything except Lady Georgiana… As a careless young woman, she once shredded his heart when she married another man. But now she is as alluring as ever, with a newfound tenacity he can’t help but admire. And the more he uncovers, the more nothing is as it seems, especially the woman he once swore to hate forever.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Aug. 23rd: Much Ado About Dukes by Ava Devon
Title: Much Ado About Dukes
Author: Eva Devon
Series: Never a Wallflower #2
Page Length: 336
Publication Date: Aug. 23, 2022
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Synopsis: As far as William Easton―the Duke of Blackheath―is concerned, love can go to the devil. Why would a man need passion when he has wealth, a stately home, and work to occupy his mind? But no one warned the duke that a fiery and frustratingly strong-willed activist like Lady Beatrice Haven can also be a stunning, dark-haired siren who tempts a man’s mind, body, and soul.
Lady Beatrice is determined to never marry. Ever. She would much rather fight for the rights of women and provoke the darkly handsome Duke of Blackheath, even if he does claim to be forward-thinking. After all, dukes―even gorgeous ones―are the enemy. So why does she feel such enjoyment from their heated exchanges?
But everything changes when Beatrice finds herself suddenly without fortune, a husband, or even a home. Now her future depends on the very man who sets her blood boiling. Because in order to protect his esteemed rival, the Duke of Blackheath has asked for Beatrice’s hand, inviting his once-enemy into his home…and his bed.
Aug. 23rd: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
Title: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
Author: Megan Bannen
Page Length: 336
Publication Date: Aug. 23, 2022
Publisher: Orbit Books
Synopsis: Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness.
Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest.
After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born.
If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most – Mercy. As the dangers from Tanria grow closer, so do the unlikely correspondents. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares – each other?
Aug. 23rd: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sandu Mandanna
Title: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Author: Sangu Mandanna
Page Length: 336
Publication Date: Aug. 23, 2022
Publisher: Berkley Books
Synopsis: As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she’s used to being alone and she follows the rules…with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.
But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and…Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he’s concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.
As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn’t the only danger in the world, and when a threat comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn’t know she was looking for….
Aug. 23rd: Beguiled by Cyla Panin
Title: Beguiled
Author: Cyla Panin
Page Length: 384
Publication Date: Aug. 23, 2022
Publisher: Amulet Books
Synopsis: A dark and enthralling story about a young woman who makes a deal with a spirit to try and gain her independence—and the twisted price she has to pay for it
Ella is a 17-year-old weaver whose entire livelihood depends on her loom. She dreams of opening her own shop, but when her father died in debtor’s prison, she had to support herself by taking whatever clients she could get. In order to buy her supplies she goes into debt of her own, and when her loom breaks, Ella realizes she needs more help than a repairperson can give her. She, like everyone, has heard about the old washerwoman spirit called the Bean-Nighe who will grant any one wish—for a price.
But Ella is desperate, so she asks the Bean-Nighe to fix her loom. And it works. The loom is fixed, and she’s creating beautiful pieces she could have never imagined before. All she has to do is feed the loom a drop of blood each time she weaves—a small price to pay for such magnificent silks. And when she brings two bolts to a rich client, she meets a mysterious young man named Callum and bargains for an invitation to his exclusive party. At that party, he’s so mesmerized by her talent, he offers Ella a place to live and patronage for her art. It seems like Ella’s fortune is finally turning for the better . . . until she begins to notice the loom taking more from her than she offered.
As she becomes entangled in the lives of the city’s rich, swept into Callum’s allure, and trapped by the Bean-Nighe’s magic, Ella must figure out a way to secure her future while she still has a future at all.
Aug. 24th: A Shield of Fate and Ruin by Nicole Bailey
Title: A Shield of Fate and Ruin
Author: Nicole Bailey
Series: Apollo Ascending #3
Publication Date: Aug. 24, 2022
Synopsis: When the world is at war.
No one is safe.
Not even the gods.
Apollo would hide with Hyacinth and hold him until the sun burned out.
But that is not their destiny.
When Ares arrives announcing a turn of the tides and war thundering towards Niria, Apollo and Hyacinth take on a journey to save everyone from Zeus’ wrath.
But when things don’t go as planned, they might destroy themselves instead.
In this third installment of the Apollo Ascending series, romance, fate, adventure, and tragedy intermingle into an exhilarating story of loyalty and sacrifice.
Aug. 30th: Wildbound by Elayne Audrey Becker
Title: Wildbound
Author: Elayne Audrey Becker
Series: Forestborn #2
Page Length: 432
Publication Date: Aug. 30, 2022
Publisher: Tor Teen
Synopsis: With the assassination of Telyan’s king, the time for peace has passed.
Determined to make up for his failure to procure the stardust, Helos finds work as a healer at Fendolyn’s Keep, the military garrison to which Telyan’s exiled royals–and half its civilians–have fled. Racing against the Fallow Throes’ ticking clock, he endeavors to repair his relationship with Prince Finley and fight off the gathering shadows in his head, as the base around him prepares for war.
Half a continent away, his sister Rora is doing everything she can to reawaken the land and end Eradain’s slaughter of magical beings. Still reeling from the revelation that Eradain’s violent monarch is her half-brother, she journeys to the kingdom determined to infiltrate his court in disguise–and finds the seeds of rebellion are already stirring.
With a magical illness running rampant and the continent arming for battle, the three realms’ long-feared destruction seems inevitable. But the two shifters they believed would bring about Alemara’s ruin may in fact hold the key to its survival.
Aug. 30th: The Liar’s Crown by Abigail Owen
Title: The Liar’s Crown
Author: Abigail Owen
Page Length: 448
Publication Date: Aug. 30, 2022
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Synopsis: Beauty and the Beast meets Snow White in this upper YA fantasy where a black heart is disguised by beauty, the purest soul is hidden within a beast, and a gift of hope is laced with death.
Everything about Meren’s life is a lie. As a hidden twin princess, born second, she has only one purpose—to sacrifice her life for her beloved sister if death comes for her. Meren has lived under the guise of a poor, obscure girl of no standing, slipping into the palace and into the role of the true princess when danger is present.
Now the queen is dead, their dominion under threat of eternal winter, and the sinister King Erebos has sent her sister a flower. The first seen in a thousand years. With that gift, he seeks to wed her. Untrusting, Meren does what she was born to do and secretly takes her sister’s place on the eve of the coronation.
Which is why, when a man made of shadow kidnaps the new queen…he gets Meren by mistake.
As Meren tries to escape, all the lies start to unravel. Not just her lies. The Shadow Ranger who took her has secrets of his own. He struggles to contain the shadows he wields—other faces, hideous faces, that terrify her.
Winter is at the walls. Darkness is looming. And the only way to save them all is to kill Erebos. But to kill the king is to destroy the king, including the only good piece of his soul left—the Shadow Ranger who has stolen Meren’s heart.
Aug. 30th: Blame It On the Earl by Jane Ashford
Title: Blame It On the Earl
Author: Jane Ashford
Series: The Duke’s Estates #3
Page Length: 360
Publication Date: Aug. 30, 2022
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Synopsis: Jane Ashford brings you straight to the English countryside in her newest Regency romance. Perfect for readers of Mary Balogh, Ella Quinn, and fans of Bridgerton, this historical romance features:
• A young woman trying to do the right thing
• An earl’s son whose clumsiness is their downfall
• A scandal that turns the haute ton upside down
• The undeniable spark that transforms a blunder into a tender connection
Sarah Moran’s attempt to save Kenver Pendrennon—the heir of an earl—as he slips off the Cornwall cliffs, sends them both into each other’s arms and into the sea. Now, marriage may be the only option to keep a scandal at bay. But what started as a terrible mistake may be exactly what both of them needs…
Aug. 30th: Three Kisses, One Midnight by Roshani Chokshi, Evelyn Skye, & Sandhya Menon
Title: Three Kisses, One Midnight
Author: Roshani Chokshi, Evelyn Skye, & Sandhya Menon
Page Length: 288
Publication Date: Aug. 30, 2022
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Synopsis: The town of Moon Ridge was founded 400 years ago and everyone born and raised there knows the legend of the young woman who perished at the stroke of twelve that very same night, losing the life she was set to embark on with her dearest love. Every century since, one day a year, the Lady of Moon Ridge descends from the stars to walk among the townsfolk, conjuring an aura upon those willing to follow their hearts’ desires.
“To summon joy and love in another’s soul
For a connection that makes two people whole
For laughter and a smile that one can never miss
Sealed before midnight with a truehearted kiss.”
This year at Moon Ridge High, a group of friends known as The Coven will weave art, science, and magic during a masquerade ball unlike any other. Onny, True, and Ash believe everything is in alignment to bring them the affection, acceptance, and healing that can only come from romance—with a little help from Onny’s grandmother’s love potion.
But nothing is as simple as it first seems. And as midnight approaches, The Coven learn that it will take more than a spell to recognize those who offer their love and to embrace all the magic that follows.
Are any of these on your TBR? Which August releases are you most excited for? Comment below!
There are a ton of fun releases in August! And Wildbound’s cover is stunning!
It’s going to be hard to narrow down my TBR next month for sure. lol
August is so full of amazing releases!!!
It sure is!!! We’re going to be busy!!! lol
I’m also excited for Love on the Brain! I tried The Undertaking of Hart & Mercy but the writing style and the plot elements aren’t my cup of tea at all so I DNF!
Ph, that’s too bad. I actually just finished Love on the Brain and really enjoyed it.
Of these I’m most looking forward to Love on the Brain and The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy.
I just finished an arc of Love on the Brain. It was great!!
I’m so jealous! Can’t wait to read it!!
I hope you enjoy these! There are a few I am keen on reading too.
Thanks so much, Joanna! I hope you get a chance to read them too. 🙂
So many great books coming out in August! Thank you for including A Shield of Fate and Ruin in your list!
You’re so welcome! I’m loving the series! 🙂